For virtually all of his NHL career, Travis Zajac has been a first-line centerman for the Devils. So it was a familiar spot for Zajac when coach Pete DeBoer moved him up from the third line midway through Monday night's game.

But Zajac never really clicked with Zach Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk, disappointing himself and prompting a return to the third line with Mattias Tedenby and David Clarkson in practice today.

"It might have been a little opportunity for me to get some time with those guys but I didn't create much with them, so I'm not surprised," Zajac said. "As a line with Clarkie and Teddy we've been playing some good hockey together, too."

Clearly, Zajac was disappointed with himself.

"Yes. Obviously I think part of my job is to contribute offensively and when you get those twi guys on your wings you want to do something with it. For whatever reason, we didn't have it yesterday," he said.

The reason is obvious. Zajac has played only five games after missing all of training camp, the preseason and the first 30 games of the regular season. He underwent surgery on Aug. 18 to repair a torn Achilles tendon.

“I don’t think it’s any secret he’s still working to find his game," coach Pete DeBoer said. "To anybody that has seen him play at 100 percent, I think that’s obvious. It’s what we expected, too. What is he, five games back now after missing 30? You look at how long it took Zach to hit stride with what he missed. It’s going to be a process.”

Zajac admits he's not back in full form.

"I feel alright. I'm getting there," he said. "I've definitely felt better every game with the puck for the most part. I feel like I'm able to anticipate plays better and read some plays better. I'm getting used to that. It's coming along, too, timing wise."

Part of his frustration is not being able to do -- yet -- what he's done in the past.

"It's human nature," Zajac said. "You want to come back and think it's going to come easy. You want to score goals and have everything go well, but it's been a long layoff. As much as I want that, I knew it was going to take some time.

"I'm still not where I want to be, at the top of my game, but at least I feel like I'm improving every day. Anytime you miss so much of the season. ... These guys are so far ahead of me with more training camp and preseason. I just have to continue to try and work hard and get myself back to where I know I'm competitive where I'm winning battles and making plays and doing a lot of little things that really can improve my game."